Daniel e



(No Model.) 2 sheets-#sheet 1.

DLE. ASHER. Grain Drill.

No. 231,749. Patented Aug. 31,1880.

-(No Model.) 2 Sheets-#Sheet 2. D. E. ASI-IER.

Gram Dr111 No. 231,749. Patented Aug; 31, 188.0.v

IINTTnn STATES PATnNT @erica DANIEL E. ASHER, OF GOSPORT, INDIANA.

GRAIN-DRILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,749, dated August 31, 1880.

Application filed April 24, 1880. (No model.)

To all 'whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, DANIEL E. AsHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gosport, in the county of Owen and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Drills; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to simplify the construction and increasethe efficiency of seeding-machines; and it consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as hereinafter fully described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation with one of the drive-wheels removed. Fig. 2 is a top-plan view with the seed-hopper removed and parts of the frame broken away. Fig. 3 is a topplan view of one of the cups. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section, and Fig. 5 a side elevation, of the same. Fig. 6 is avertical transverse section of the fertilizer-hopper.

Like letters of reference are employed in the above iigures of drawings to indicate like parts wherever such may occur.

A represents 'the main frame, composed of the longitudinal girts a, a forward transverse girt,a',"intermediate transverse girt, a?, and a rear transverse girt, a3. B are the drive-wheels, mounted upon an axle, b, from which the ma-` chine is supported. C is the draft-bar bolted to the girts a c2, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, and fulllines, Fig. l. D is the drivers seat, which is here mounted, in the usual Inanner, upon the girt a3 at the eXtreme rear end of the machine, so that the weight of the driver will assist to counterbalance the weight of the forward end of the frame and relieve the horses from said weight, and in this respect differs from all other machines of this class.

E represents the seed-spout rail hung from a bow or yoke, F, by means of links j', whereby said rail, together with the seed-spouts and other devices supported thereby, may be raised which pass the supporting-standards e', to

adapt them for lateral adjustment by means of the setscrews e, for the purpose of regulating the width of the rows.

G are the seed-spouts, secured to the standards t" by means of clevises g, and to said seedspouts are bolted the furrow-plows H, the lower end or point of which is forked to receive the heel end of the drags l.

The standards e' are screw-threaded at their upper and lower ends for the reception of the nuts e2 c3, the former serving to support the standards in the slots of the rail, and the latter as a bearing for the clevises g.

Between the clevises g and the rail E` the standards are surrounded by a coiled spring, g, or they may be surrounded by rubber springs to adapt the devices supported from said standards to yield vertically.

In machines of this class as heretofore constructed, when one of the plows encountered an obstruction, the driver had to raise the whole series of plows and seed-spouts out of the ground to avoid said obstruction after having first stopped his team, and by this means was not always able to prevent injury to the particular plow or plows or seed-spouts. By the application of the springs above described each plow is adapted to yield when encountering an obstruction7 thereby avoiding not only the raising of the series of plows from the ground, but also any injury to said plows.

I I represent drags orfurrow-cleaners, Whic are branched at their rear end, as shown by Fig. l, leaving an open space between the plows I-I and the branches i t', as shown at i2 in Fig. l, the heel branch I being secured between the forked point of the plow H and the branch z" to the upper end of the plow and the lower end of 'the seed-spout by means of a sleeve or clevis, i3, and a bolt, t4.

The furrow-cleaners I are of curvilinear form,

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and are attached at their forward end to bracket-armsl, connected to and forming with the blocks I2 bearings for the forward end of said furrow-cleaners, which bearin gs are adjustably mounted upon a shaft, J, at the forward end of the machine.

It will be seen that when the plows and seedspouts Iare adjusted laterally upon the rail E, to regulate the width of the rows, the forward end of the furrow-cleaners may be correspondingly adjusted by means of the set-screws 13, and the openin g i2 at the heel end of the drags prevents any accumulation of trash to choke the plows and interfere with the cutting of a clean furrow, which is of greatimportance, as this feature of construction obviates a great deal of annoyance and saves considerable time and labor required in all other machines for occasionally removing the accumulated trash in front of the plow.

The shaft J is hung in bearings J', depending from the forward end of the girts a, and said bearin are so arranged that the furrowcleaners may be adjusted vertically either by providing said bearings with a series of apertures, j, for the passage of the shaft, as shown in Fig. l, or by any other preferred means, such as a bearing block or blocks held within aslot in said bearin gs, between which the shaft is held, and adjusted vertically by means of set-screws. These furrow-cleaners, as will be readily seen, assist materially in overcoming obstructions. Their curvilinear form immediately in front of their heels adapts them, and with them the plows and seed-spouts, to readily ride over obstructions, while the attachment of these cleaners and their plows to the seed-sponts is such that the plows may be readily removed for sharpening or repair, as will he readily understood.

The rail E is guided in its vertical movements by segmental guides E', secured to the girt-s a and forked guide-plates c5, as shown by Figs. l and 2, secured to said rail E.

The supporting-railis so arranged that when depressed or lowered upon its pivotal points, which are practically the bow F and shaft J, the plow-points will be on a line with the axis of the drive-wheel shaft. This is another important feature, inasmuch as it requires much less power to move the machine over the field than would be the case if the plow-points were on a line in rear of said shaft, as will be readily seen.

K, Fig. l, are the delivery-tubes, and M the seed-cups, and K the seed-hopper, mounted upon the machine and connected with each other in any usual or preferred manner.

The seed-hopper carries in front a grass-seed hopper, r, and l mount thereon in rear the fertilizer distributer or hopper L, which consists preferably of a cylindrical receptacle running the whole length of the seed-hopper, and connected with the seed-spouts by means of delivery-tubes, or the connection may be made direct with the seed-hopper, though I prefer the former arrangement. This fertilizer-distributer L, Fig. 6, is provided with a series of delivery-ports, Z, anda corresponding number of cut-oft' valves, e', connected to a valve-rod, e2, by ineans ofl which the quantity of fertilizer' delivered may be regulated, said valve-rod being connected with the usual gaging devices, and may be operated in any convenient man.- ner by means of a lever within reach of the driver in his seat.

To facilitate the delivery of the fertilizer, and to adapt the machine to sow comminuted manure, I employ a series of stirrers, L', mounted on a shaft, l3, rotated from the gearwheel b', Fig. 2, on the drive-wheel axle b and suitable intermediate gearing.

M, Figs. 3, 4, and 5, represents the seed-cups, of usual form and connected with the seedhopper and seed-spouts in the usual or any preferred manner, and connected together attheir lower ends by means of a line-shaft, m.

N is the seed-wheel, having a series of seedcups, n, arranged in inclined rows upon the periphery of said seed-wheel. These seedwheels are mounted upon a line-shaft, M', driven from gear-wheel B on the drive-wheel axle b, intermediate gear-wheel, B2, and the pinion B3 upon said line-shaft.

The gear-wheel B2 is supported upon the forward end of a lever, It, said forward end being mounted upon the main shaft b, while the rear end of said lever has a fork embracing an eccentric, l?, mounted upon the outer end of the crank-arm f2 of the yoke F, the crank-arm f3 of which carries the hand-lever f.

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It will be seen that by this arrangement,

when the lever f is thrown backward to raise the rail and parts supported thereby, the toothed wheel B2 will be thrown out of gear with the pinion B3 to stop the delivery of seed simultaneously. v

0 is the cut-off valve, composed of a semicylindrical shell, o, surrounding one-half of the seed-wheel, and of a width equal to twothirds of the width of said wheel when the latter has three rows of cups, and passing into the seed-cup through a suitable slot formed in the side thereof.

The valve has a rearwardly-projecting bearing, O', through which and a like bearing in the seed-cups passes the line-shaft S. Said lineshaft passes loosely through the seedcup, while the valves are rigidly connected therewith by means of set-screws o.

The shaft S may be operated in any desired manner by means of a hand-lever, s, Fig. 2, within reach of the driver in his seat, to uncover two or more ofthe seed-cups to regulate the quantity of seed to be sown.

Having now described my invention, what I claim isl. In a seeding-machine, the combination, with the seed-spouts and furrow-plows, of furrow-cleaners having their heel end` branched to form an open space immediately in front of IIO said ploWs, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of the seed-spouts G,

plows H, and the adjustable furrow-cleaners 5 I with the shaft J, slotted rail E, standards E', and set-screws e4 and I3, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I afiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

DANIEL E. ASHER.

Witnesses JAMES R. FRITTS, EDWARD W. ARGANBRIGHT. 

